How to Paint a Softball Bat With a Clear Coat Finish
While most new softball bats come with a clear coat already applied, sometimes you need to spruce up that old bat and apply a new finish. A clear coat over your softball bat not only protects your bat from wear and splintering, but also gives it a nice glossy shine. The biggest trouble when applying a clear coat is avoiding streaks and bubbles to your finish. While car enthusiasts will advocate using a spray finish, you can get the same results with a brush and a little bit of effort.
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Things You'll Need
- Softball bat
- Polyurethane clear coat
- Mineral spirits
- Glass jar
- Natural bristle brush
- Sandpaper (varying grits)
- Automotive compound
- Clean cloth
Instructions
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Start by sanding your bat down to remove any prior finish or blemishes. Start with a medium-course sandpaper, such as a 100-grit and slowly work your way up to finer sandpaper. The finer sandpaper will smooth out the scratches left by the coarser paper until you have a nice finish.
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Inspect the bat to make sure that you have sanded out all of the scratches from sanding. At this point you may choose to give the bat another sanding using an extra-fine 220-grit sandpaper.
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Clean the bat of any dust left from sanding. You can use a clean cloth or a vacuum. You want to remove all the dust from the bat before applying your clear coat.
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If you want to apply a stain or paint to your softball bat, now is the time to do so. Following the directions on the can, apply an even coat of paint or stain and allow it to dry.
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Seal the softball bat. Before applying your final clear coat, you want to provide a sealant coat to protect the bat. To do this, mix two parts oil-based polyurethane with one part mineral spirits to thin it out.
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Pour the polyurethane and mineral spirits into a glass jar. Stir them together using a stirring stick. Make sure not to shake the solution, as it can introduce air bubbles that will ruin your finish.
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Apply the sealant with a natural bristle brush. Synthetic brushes are not good for this process, because the way they are manufactured, they can introduce air into your sealant.
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Using long, even strokes, apply the sealant with your brush. Catch any brush drippings by brushing them smoothly into the finish.
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Allow the sealant to dry for 24 hours, and then apply a coat of undiluted polyurethane to the bat. Dip the brush directly into the can, and avoid wiping the brush on the edges of the can, as this can also introduce air bubbles. In the same manner as applying the sealant, use long, even strokes, and try to not apply too much that the polyurethane runs. Wait a few minutes to make sure the coating is even.
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Allow the undiluted coat to dry for an additional 24 hours before applying the final coat. If you notice any irregularities in your last coat, you can either shave them off using a razor blade or lightly wet sandpaper (400-grit).
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Apply the final coat in the same manner as the previous coats, making sure to avoid air bubbles in the finish. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.
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If you want to create a glass-like shine to your bat, wait a few days to allow the clear coat to fully cure, then lightly wet sand again with 400-grit sandpaper.
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After you have wet sanded the final coat, you will need to polish it. Using a clean and slightly damp cloth, apply automotive rubbing compound to the bat, and polish with a circular motion. Finally, buff the bat to a nice shine.
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Tips & Warnings
You want to apply your clear coat in an area that is free of dust and debris.
By adding a little bit of dish soap to the water during the wet sanding process, you will help the sandpaper glide more evenly over the surface of the wood.
If your bat comes out a little cloudy after polishing, simply polish and buff again using the automotive compound.
